


Emotional Context

by SarahWritesThings



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Depression, Episode: s05e03 Extreme Risk, Female Friendship, Friendship, Gen, Not quite canon divergent, References to Depression, but not canon compliant either, post episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-04-07 15:49:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19088164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarahWritesThings/pseuds/SarahWritesThings
Summary: Kathryn and B'Elanna understand each other in a way no one quite can. Unfortunately, it is the worst circumstances that prove it to them.Currently set as completed because it works as a one-shot, but this will eventually be expanded into a full story.





	Emotional Context

_it’s not the fall, it’s the landing that kills you_

She stood outside the doors, staring at their steel grey plate.

When the Doctor had commed to report of B’Elanna’s injuries, a sick weight and began to press on Kathryn’s mind, and it hadn’t let up since. The briefing had been painful at best. The injuries, the change in personality, the signs had all been there. They had just missed them. _She_ had missed them.

Kathryn moved into Sickbay, her eyes falling on her Chief Engineer, perched on the surgical bed and staring at the wall with soft focus.

“Would you excuse us please, Doctor?”

“Captain, what's going on?”

She took a deep breath. “When the Doctor examined you, he found evidence of internal bleeding, fractured vertebrae, contusions, cranial trauma…”

“I guess the accident was pretty serious.”

“The injuries I'm talking about didn't happen recently. Some of them are weeks, even months old.”

B’Elanna scoffed. Tossed her head to the side and forced it away. Kathryn could see the practiced ease.

“Well, I'm an engineer. I've had my share of bumps and bruises.”

“But you didn't seek treatment for any of these.”

“I don't run to Sickbay every time I stub my toe.”

B’Elanna shook her head, the smallest smirk gracing her lips. It was all designed to but the receiver at ease, to let her escape unbounded. But she couldn’t let that happen.

“Some of these injuries were life-threatening, B'Elanna.”

“Do I look like I'm dying?”

Now was the moment to make a choice. To be brave and take the plunge. To save a member of her crew.

“Yes.”

B’Elanna stared, wide eyes set on her Captain. For the first time since Kathryn had entered sickbay, she saw a flicker of _something_ in the young woman’s eyes.

“It looks like you’re dying inside, and you don’t know if you’ll ever be free of it. I know what that feels like, and I’m so sorry I didn’t see it until now.”

She didn’t respond, seemingly frozen on the biobed.

“B’Elanna, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together. You’ve been distant for weeks, and the logs show that you’ve been using the holodeck frequently during that time, without safety protocols activated.”

Now some life shot back into B’Elanna’s body. “That’s ridiculous, I don’t-”

“You can deny it all you want, but it won’t do any good.” She took a deep breathe, attempting to steady herself, to keep a handle on her own emotions. “ _B’Elanna_ , I want to help you. But I need you to be honest in order to do that.”

Panic seemed to flicker across her features, so Kathryn took a step back.

“I understand that it’s hard, but I can’t let you keep hurting yourself until you decide to let us in. So for time being, you'll remain under the Doctor's supervision. Which means you're off the shuttle project. I'm sorry.”

“I’m not.”

This was not what Kathryn expected, anger and denial, sure, but not this reigned acceptance.

“Now I know there's something wrong.”


End file.
